Crew Expandable

General information

Developer

Release date(s)

Genre(s)

Survival horror

Production information

Rating

ESRB: M (Mature)

Platform(s)

PCXbox 360Xbox OnePlayStation 3PlayStation 4

Crew Expendable is a DLC expansion for the 2014 video game Alien: Isolation. It takes place in an alternate version of the events of Alien, beginning not long after Brett is slain by the Alien. Now realizing what they are dealing with, the remaining crew formulate a plan to expel the creature from the Nostromo's airlock, a plan that requires the player — as either Ripley, Parker or Dallas — to use themselves as bait.

Crew Expendable was the first piece of DLC released for the game; initially, it was only available to those who pre-ordered the "Nostromo Edition" or "Ripley Edition" of Alien: Isolation, but was later made available for purchase to all players on October 22, 2014.

Contents

Plot

A Deck

The DLC begins with a shot of the hypersleep vault aboard the Nostromo, but it then cuts to a shot of Ripley, Lambert, Parker, Ash and Dallas discussing the Alien in the ship's mess hall following Brett's death. They figure that the Alien is using the ducts inside the ship to move around, and Dallas suggests leading the Alien to the main airlock. The player then gets to decide if Ripley, Parker or Dallas goes into the ducts. The player grabs a flamethrower, motion tracker, Maintenance Jack and possibly a flare and Medikit. They then meet with Ash, who tells them that the security systems has shut a number of doors, so they'll have to gather equipment en route. The player descends a ladder to B Deck, and Ash seals the hatch behind them.

B Deck and air shafts

While avoiding being killed by the Alien, the player seals maintenance hatches 00B1 and 00B2. They then pass through the landing claw bay, where Brett's corpse is located, and seal either hatch 00B3 or 00B4. After sealing the hatch, Ash tells them to find the primary air shaft system, and lead the Alien to C Deck. There, Ash can connect to the airlock systems from his terminal. After entering the primary air shafts, the player's motion tracker begins malfunctioning. Lambert finds the player on her motion tracker and tells them that the Alien is also inside the shafts. Lambert attempts to guide the player through the shafts while they avoid the Alien. Eventually, the player reaches the end of the shafts and drops down to C Deck.

C Deck and ending

The player then has to connect Ash to the airlock systems. Ash tells them that he's opening the outer airlock, but it'll take some time, so they should find somewhere to hide. Eventually, Ash informs them that it's primed, and instructs the player to wait for the Alien to enter the outer airlock chamber and be ready to close it in. Once the Alien enters the airlock, the player approaches the airlock and presses the button to seal the airlock. However, Ash tells them that something strange is happening, and the switch does not work. An alarm inside the airlock activates, and the Alien flees, knocking out the player. Once they wake up, Ash is waiting for them.

The DLC ends with a shot of the med lab, as Ash's voice is heard delivering his iconic monologue from the movie: "Bring back lifeform. Priority one. All other priorities rescinded. You still don't understand what you're dealing with do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. I admire its purity. A survivor. Unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality. Last word. I can't lie to you about your chances. But... you have my sympathies."

Characters

Playable

Trivia

The final part of the level, on C Deck, is based on a deleted scene from Alien where the crew almost succeed in expelling the Alien from the Nostromo's airlock, before Ash sounds an alarm and scares the creature away. As it flees, the Alien knocks Parker unconscious, similar to the player's chosen character in the game.